Necrotic enteritis (NE), caused by the bacterial pathogen Clostridium perfringens, is one of the most important infectious diseases in the current poultry production system. This disease globally causes severe economic losses due to mortality and decreased growth performance. Along with the increasing regulations for the removal of antibiotic growth promoters from poultry feed, the incidence of necrotic enteritis is also steadily increasing. The loss due to necrotic enteritis was estimated to be $2 billion dollars globally in the year 2000. But, a recent report published in World Poultry (Vol 31, No. 7, 2015) states that the true costs of necrotic enteritis are now closer to $6 billion dollars globally.
The modern poultry industry is largely dependent upon the use of antibiotics for treatment of bacterial diseases such as necrotic enteritis, and for growth promotion. However, in recent years, there have been several reports of the development of resistance to commonly used antibiotics in various pathogens. There is also increasing concern about the potential risks to human health from drug residues and the possible transfer of antibiotic-resistance genes from animal to human microbiota. In fact, the use of antibiotics for growth promotion has been banned in the European Union since 2006. In the US, many large producers are adopting non-antibiotic approaches for the prevention and treatment of various diseases and aiming at switching to completely antibiotic free production in couple of years. Thus a need exists for the development of efficient non-antibiotic strategies for the control and prevention of necrotic enteritis.